Archive for the Whisper Me A Love Song Category


Whisper Me A Love Song Anime Campaigns in Tokyo & Kyoto, Guest Post by Roxie

April 12th, 2024

Tomorrow, the anime for Whisper Me A Love Song / Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau (ささやくように恋を唄う) debuts on Japanese TV and streaming on HIDIVE. Our intrepid  Correspondent Roxie is in Japan right now and has found any number of adorable promotional campaigns and items for sale. She’s graciously traipsed all over to grab us pictures of the largest Yuri anime marketing campaign I have ever seen. Settle in for the utter cuteness of Takeshima Eku’s charming first love story. Take it away, Roxie!

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We came to Japan for the cherry blossoms, and were rewarded with a big surprise campaign of Whisper Me A Love Song, or known as Sasakoi over here.

Our first surprise was reported by a friend who saw the trailer being advertised on the Yunika Vision screen in Shinjuku on the Alpen Tower. Sadly, we never caught it again after April 1st during our tight schedule…

The second surprise was at Animate HQ in Ikebukuro with an entire staircase wall level dedicated to Sasakoi. Lots of cute large panels for us to take in.

Large banner advertising Whisper Me A Love Song" Yuri anime at Ikebukuro Animate.

 


 


 

Participating Gratte Cafes, found at Animate stores across various cities, has included a Sasakoi drink and cookie campaign. You can pick any design for the drink, where they will print them onto the thick cream. They look rather stunning and sharp to our surprise.

 A purchase of either allows you to add ¥500 for a coaster of 7 options! Because of luck being a factor for getting these gacha coasters, it took us roughly 10 tries to collect them all! The green tea lattes were the sweetest, with coffee being the least, and the milk tea as in-between. I’m sadly sick of green tea lattes now.


 

 

If you don’t want to drink your sugar, feel free to pick one of the cute cookies instead. Since I can’t eat cute faces, I cannot give any commentary on how it tastes.

 


 

Melonbooks did have a poster for the latest volume at various stores.

 

 

All three chain shops offered add-on goods to the manga volumes. Animate edition offered a cute illustration card for their 9th volume. Melonbooks went all out and offered a unique clear file for each specific volume purchased. Gamers are also offering individualized illustration cards for each volume as well.

 

Not to be outdone by Ikebukuro, Akihabara gave us the chance encounter of seeing the book and anime advertised on multiple pillars in a prime spot in front of Atre at the Electric town exit.

 

Our journey still continues to Kyoto where there is a special collab event with Eiden Railways and limited merch goods. The girls are dressed in cute train station hats and outfit as can badges and acrylic stands. The station master apologized that they were all sold out! Being in Kyoto, there is also a yukata edition for the main pair as a tapestry and clear file folders. Eiden even has a small image of the girls in front of the train!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animate Kyoto also collaborated the event with some yukata acrylics, canvas, and pass holders. There was only the latter two left, but we got to admire the shikishi board at least.

 

 

 

Compared to other recent yuri animes of the last year, this has been an amazing push the higher ups have put into this campaign. We hope you’re excited for this series’ anime adaptation!





Whisper Me A Love Song, Volume 6

January 23rd, 2023

On a white cover, two girls in grey Japanese school uniforms. The taller of the two with wild, long black hair, embraces the shorter, with light brown hair from behind. In black and orange lettering, Whisper Me A Love Song, a white number 6 in a guitar pick shaped lozenge, Eku Takeshima in orange letters. Reddish orange cosmos bloom in the background.In most high school manga, summer is a time for our protagonists to go to the beach or pool, and make beautiful memories. For Himari, this summer will be the busiest of her life. Somehow she has become the manager of Lorelei, the greatest rivals Yori-sempai’s band, SS Girls, has.

Luckily, Himari is not as much in a pickle as that sounds, since the members of Lorelei are not only treating her well, but teaching her useful skills. Himari is able to offer some promotional suggestions, as well. Honestly…she’s thriving.

Himari finally asks Shiho what the deal with her leaving SS Girls is, and she is invited on an outing as a response. What could the big secret be? It’s not so much a secret, as a teenage unused to processing complicated feelings of /spoilers/.

There’s only one problem. Himari’s time with Yori-sempai has been slashed to pieces and she’s worried that too much distance between Yori and she might hurt their relationship. Yori is putting a brave and generous face on, but it’s killing her with jealousy. Yori admits that, and they affirm their feelings for one another. Yori’s plans for a first kiss don’t pan out, but at a summer festival, they finally get the time to just talk and be together and have the romantic kiss they deserve on a giant two-page spread. Yay for beautiful summer memories!

When they are caught in a sudden summer deluge, they end up at Yori’s house. As the volume ends, Yori contemplates what it will mean to having her girlfriend overnight. I admit, watch Yori stress about being attracted to Himari is a kinda cute. I think I get why Aki teases her all the time. ^_^

I know I keep saying this, but I really do love this manga. It’s sweet and genuine and has feels without manipulation or creeping. I love Takeshima-sensei’s art, and the “timing” of her page layouts. The characters are universally likable (even Shiho, sometimes.) I cannot wait for this anime and just really hope the animation team does it right. _^ Certainly, I can say with enthusiasm, that Kodansha handles this manga beautifully. Kebin Steinbach gives all the characters their own voice…you can really hear Himari and Yori and Shiho….beautiful lettering from Jennifer Skarupa, Tiff Joshua TJ Ferrentini’s editing gives it that final polish and once again Matthew Akuginow’s cover is just a lovely thing, with a great contrast between the smooth gloss and textured finish. All around, a fantastic edition.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8

Overall – 9

Volume 7 will bring the great reveal of Shiho’s dark secret, out in English this June from Kodansha!